Hello all from Missouri

[Thunter1317]

Hello everyone! My name is Tania and I live in Washington, MO. I have been wanting to raise backyard chickens for a few years now and finally decided to just do it! We got our first flock this past Saturday ( 2 RIR, 2 Ameracaunas, and 1 buff Orpington). So as of right now we have 5 babies.

I am full of questions but I am so excited to raise these girls (I hope anyways). I am mostly looking forward to the reward of having fresh eggs in return for loving and caring for these beautiful birds.

I am a licensed massage therapist and a holistic health coach. I am married to journeyman lineman and have 2 young children (5 yrs and 19 months). We live in 11.5 areas in rural Washington, MO and also have 2 heelers and 2 barn cats.

We love the outdoors, hiking, biking, UTV riding, running, camping, and boating.

I'm new to the whole chicken thing so I stumbled upon BY through a Google search to see if there would be pictures to show age progression in chicks and if I'd be able to better see if I have ended up with 5 hens or if I actually ended up with a rooster in the mix, even though they were all labeled as pullets. Thanks for having me and I look forward to this group!

 

[Chick-N-Fun]

Hi Tania! Welcome to our FUN-omenal community! Best wishes and have lots of FUN!

 

[DobieLover]

Hi Tania. I'm Tonya! Welcome to BYC! Glad you joined.
The sexing guarantee for pullet chicks is typically 90% accurate. You never know if you're one of the ones who ends up with a male!
If you do end up with a cockerel, you'll want to be very careful with him around your little ones.
Have you got your coop and run all set and ready to go?
Have fun with those babies!

 

[Kiki]

Welcome to BYC.
We are glad you joined this flock!
Jump right in and make yourself at home.

This video will help you learn how to navigate this site (how to upload photos too):

Coop Ideas:
Chicken Coops.

What exactly did you Google to get here? <<<<<<<<<<<

BYC has an APP!

 

[LoveMyChickenBabies]

We are so glad you joined! We are sure you'll love it here, so pull up a roost!

 

[Thunter1317]

No, I do not have my coop and run set up yet. I am planning to do that in the next few weeks. I'm not to certain of their ages but my BO looks like it is at least 2 to 3 weeks old and the rest were a new shipment to the store last Tuesday so...

Hi Tania. I'm Tonya! Welcome to BYC! Glad you joined.
The sexing guarantee for pullet chicks is typically 90% accurate. You never know if you're one of the ones who ends up with a male!
If you do end up with a cockerel, you'll want to be very careful with him around your little ones.
Have you got your coop and run all set and ready to go?
Have fun with those babies!

 

[Wee Farmer Sarah]

Hi Tanya, welcome to BYC! Glad you decided to join our happy group of chicken lovers. This is the best place to be to learn and share about chickens and other feathered critters. Please feel free to post pictures of your brooder and coop. We love pictures.

 

[Wee Farmer Sarah]

We are so glad you joined! We are sure you'll love it here, so pull up a roost!

@Thunter1317 What are you keeping your chicks in now?

 

[Thunter1317]

What are you keeping your chicks in now?

My husband made a broader box out of a huge plastic tote and cut a hole on top and attached hardware cloth to it. I out their water and food in there, elevated the water to help keep it clean.

 

[Wee Farmer Sarah]

View attachment 1714819

My husband made a broader box out of a huge plastic tote and cut a hole on top and attached hardware cloth to it. I out their water and food in there, elevated the water to help keep it clean.

Is that what they are in in the picture? If so, that's OK for a few days, but they will be jumping out of that soon. I'm using a bunny cage this year. It was about $34.00 at TSC. How are you keeping them warm? They need to be kept around 85 - 90F for a few more days then lower that a bit. A brooder plate is your best option, it uses way less electricity than a heat lamp. And btw: they will always find a way to poop in their water.